Saturday, Mar. 7 - 4pm, Pauley Pavilion
Streaming Video: pac-12.com/videos/ucla
Live Stats - uclabruins.com
Bruins Host Stanford in Home Finale
No. 8 UCLA (9-1) hosts No. 13 Stanford (5-6-1) on Saturday, Mar. 7 for the two teams' second matchup of the season. The meet, UCLA's final home meet of the season, will take place at Pauley Pavilion at 4pm.
Tickets and Promotions
Tickets for Saturday's meet are on sale now at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. Reserved tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for youth (16 and under), while general admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth.
UCLA students are free with ID and eligible to win a raffle prize. This week, we will be giving away an iPad mini AND a GoPro.
UCLA Gymnastics alumni will be recognized in premeet festivities, and following the competition, the Bruins will honor their senior class of team manager Cassie Whitcomb and gymnasts Ellette Craddock, Jordan Williams and Samantha Peszek. After the senior ceremony and awards presentation, the Bruin team will host a formal autograph session.
Follow Live
Live streaming video will be available at pac-12.com/videos/ucla. Live stats will be available at uclabruins.com. Live updates can be found on Twitter via @uclagymnastics.
Senior Salute
UCLA's three senior gymnasts all came to Westwood in different years. Fifth-year senior Samantha Peszek came in 2011 and won the NCAA balance beam title during her freshman year. She redshirted in 2013 after suffering an Achilles injury and came back for her fourth season in 2014, winning the Pac-12 beam championship. Peszek, a 10-time All-American, participated in last year's Senior Day ceremonies but decided to return for her fifth season a few days after the NCAA Championships. True senior Ellette Craddock came to UCLA in 2012 and will be graduating this spring. Last season, she competed at her first NCAA Championship and scored the Bruins' highest team score on beam, a career-high 9.875. Graduate student Jordan Williams is the newest Bruin, having arrived this fall. Williams transferred to UCLA for her graduate studies after graduating from the University of Arizona in 2014. Williams has been a standout on vault for the Bruins, ranking 18th in the nation and scoring 9.95 three times in her last four meets.
In the Rankings
UCLA moved up to No. 8 in the nation with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 196.785. RQS is determined by taking the top six scores, three of which must be on the road, dropping the high score and averaging the remaining five marks. The Bruins are ranked No. 7 on vault (49.335), No. 12 on bars (49.125), No. 5 on beam (49.210) and No. 9 on floor (49.205). Samantha Peszek is ranked on three events - No. 13 on vault (9.910), No. 11 on bars (9.890) and No. 5 on beam (9.905). Two other Bruins have Top 10 rankings - Christine Peng-Peng Lee, who is fifth on bars (9.910), and Danusia Francis, who ranks sixth on beam (9.895). Additionally, Jordan Williams ranked 18th on vault (9.895), and Sadiqua Bynum is tied for 24th on floor (9.880).
About the Cardinal
Stanford is coming off its season-high score of 197.525, set Monday in a dual meet win over Washington. The score was the Cardinal's highest in five years. Freshman Elizabeth Price scored a 9.95 on vault and 9.975 on floor to win those events.
UCLA is 49-16-1 all-time against Stanford and won the earlier matchup on Feb. 14 at Stanford, 197.075-196.225. Both teams were without standout performers in the meet, as the Bruins were competing without an ill Christine Peng-Peng Lee, and the Cardinal sat out an injured Elizabeth Price.
Bruins Score Season-High at ASU
UCLA recorded a season-high score of 197.35 to defeat host Arizona State by over three points on Saturday. The Bruins earned a season-best 49.5 on vault and had event winners on all four events, with vault winners Samantha Peszek and Jordan Williams, bars winner Christine Peng-Peng Lee and beam winner Danusia Francis scoring 9.95 each. Angi Cipra was the Bruins' fourth event winner, capturing first on floor in a homecoming meet for the Mesa native. UCLA hit 23 of 24 routines for 9.8 or better, including its first 16 routines.
Exhibition Performers Shine
UCLA once again received top marks from its exhibition performers, with 9.85s coming from Jordan Williams on beam and Sophina DeJesus on floor at ASU. Both routines would have placed second if they had counted. The week prior, Christine Peng-Peng Lee scored 9.925 on vault, which would have put her in second place in the UCLA quad meet if her score had counted. Rechelle Dennis made her UCLA debut on bars in an exhibition and scored 9.825, which would have tied for fifth place. Hallie Mossett's 9.85 on beam and Napualani Hall's 9.875 on floor also would have been good for fifth place on those events.
Peszek, Lee Honored by Pac-12 ... Again
For the second consecutive week, redshirt senior Samantha Peszek and redshirt sophomore Christine Peng-Peng Lee earned weekly honors from the Pac-12 Conference. Peszek earned Gymnast of the Week honors for the third time this year after scoring 9.9 or higher on all three of her routines at Arizona State. She won vault with a 9.95 and placed second on bars with a 9.9 and on beam with a 9.925. Lee received Freshman/Newcomer of the Week acclaim for the second time after tying her career-high on bars with a meet-winning 9.95, setting a new career-high on vault with a third-place score of 9.875 and tying for third on beam with a 9.85.
On the Rise
Since a tough loss at Utah on Jan. 23, UCLA has shown improvements from meet to meet, with season-high team scores being posted in each of the three subsequent meets. The Bruins scored 48.1 on two events in that Utah meet but have scored 49+ on all events in their last five meets, a streak of 20 consecutive events.
Bruins are Beaming
UCLA recorded a 49.525 on beam on Feb. 21, earning the eighth-highest beam score in school history. Only two other UCLA teams in the 2010s have scored higher on beam - the 2010 team, which scored 49.65 at Georgia, and the 2012 team, which scored 49.55 at California. The Bruins earned their 49.525 with six strong routines. Mikaela Gerber led off with a 9.8, followed by a 9.775 from Sonya Meraz. Sophina DeJesus scored 9.85, and then the back half of the lineup went stratospheric, with Danusia Francis scoring 9.95, Christine Peng-Peng Lee 9.975, and Samantha Peszek 9.95. A week later at Arizona State, the Bruins totaled 49.425, their second-highest team mark of the year.
Raising the Bar on Floor
UCLA is raising the bar on floor exercise, with many of the competitors now performing E tumbling passes. Both Jennifer Pinches and Hallie Mossett inserted new full-in opening passes vs. Washington in February, joining Angi Cipra (full-in), Napualani Hall (Arabian double front), Sadiqua Bynum and Samantha Peszek (double layout), who have had their E passes in their routines since the start of the season. The Bruins scored a season-high 49.45 on floor at Stanford on Feb. 14 and have scored 49+ in seven straight meets.
Williams Vaults Ahead
Graduate student Jordan Williams has scored career-highs of 9.95 on vault in three of her last four meets, first against Washington on Feb. 9 and again on Feb. 21 in the Bruins' quad meet and on Feb. 28 at Arizona State. Williams, who came to Westwood from Arizona and is UCLA's first-ever graduate transfer, has averaged 9.881 on vault, with three victories and two second-place showings in eight meets. She also made her beam debut at Stanford and scored 9.75 and upped that score with a 9.85 exhibition performance at Arizona State.
Peszek Power
Fifth-year senior Samantha Peszek has been lights out this season, averaging 39.6 in three all-around performances and scoring 9.85 or better on 23 of 25 routines competed. Her only missed routine was a rare beam miscue against Washington that snapped a streak of 21 consecutive hit beam routines and 52 straight hit routines in team competition. Peszek, the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week three times this season, has won all three times she has competed all-around, scoring 39.55 to win at Oregon State and 39.625 to win at Utah and in the home quad meet. She has a team-high total of 12 victories out of a possible 28 and has placed in the Top 3 25 of 28 times. Peszek is a nominee for the AAI Award, which is given to the nation's top senior gymnast.
Francis. Danusia Francis
Week after week, junior Danusia Francis has been posting big scores for the Bruins. She has 10 scores of 9.9 or higher, including three in UCLA's last home meet, where she earned 9.95s on beam and floor and a 9.9 as the leadoff on bars. Francis picked up her second floor victory of the season at the Feb. 21 quad meet with her James Bond-themed routine, scoring her first-ever 9.95 on that event. On the year, Francis has recorded three event wins on beam and two on floor, and she has scored 9.8 or better on 20 consecutive routines. Her uneven bars average of 9.85 and national ranking of 28th is especially impressive considering she is the Bruins' leadoff performer.
Bynum Doubles Down on Vault, Floor
Junior Sadiqua Bynum has been delivering big scores all season on vault and floor, averaging 9.861 on vault and 9.861 on floor. Bynum is ranked 24th in the nation on floor and has scored career-bests of 9.925 on floor in four of her last five meets and has three event wins on floor. Bynum has scored 9.85 or better on 11 of her 13 routines this year.
Lee Makes Long-Awaited Return
Nearly three years after her last competition, redshirt sophomore Christine Peng-Peng Lee made her highly-anticipated collegiate debut at Oregon State on Jan. 12. Lee showed zero signs of rust, winning two events and placing fourth in another. She stuck every dismount and hit every skill in her difficult routines, scoring 9.9 to win bars, 9.825 on a stuck Yurchenko full vault, and 9.875 to tie for first on beam. Against Cal on Feb. 1, she won both events in which she competed, scoring 9.95s on bars and beam, and was subsequently named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week. She earned Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week honors the last two weeks, winning after scoring career-bests on bars (9.95) and vault (9.875). Last week, she won bars and beam with scores of 9.95 and 9.975, respectively, and exhibitioned a vault that scored 9.925. Lee has totaled eight event wins this season, including five in seven meets on bars. Lee tore ligaments in her knee in 2012 just before the Canadian National Championships and had two surgeries, one in 2012 and another in 2013.
Meraz Making Moves
Freshman walk-on Sonya Meraz became just the second Bruin this season to make it into the lineup as an all-arounder, competing in all four events in two meets. In her all-around debut vs. Washington, she won the meet with a score of 39.025. Meraz was not originally scheduled to compete on all four events but was inserted into the vault lineup just before competition began and scored a 9.8 on her first collegiate vault. She also earned scores of 9.6 on bars and 9.75 on beam and capped her night with a career-high 9.875 on floor. She was even better at Stanford, scoring career-highs on all three events in which she competed, earning 9.85s on bars and beam and 9.9 on floor. At ASU, she earned Top 3 finishes on beam in the leadoff position and on floor.
Gerber Enjoying Breakout Season
Sophomore Mikaela Gerber has enjoyed a breakout season so far, with strong and consistent routines in each of her seven meets. She hit her first 10 routines of the year and has scored career-bests of 9.8 four times on beam, where she has been the all-important leadoff performer. She is also averaging 9.8 on floor and earned a career-high 9.85 in her last performance at Stanford.
Walk-On Freshmen Impress
Walk-on freshmen Sonya Meraz, LaNiesha-Jopré Irvin and JaNay Honest have impressed this season. Meraz won the all-around vs. Washington and scored career-highs on all three events she competed at Stanford, including her first career 9.9, on floor. She has season-highs of 9.9 on floor, 9.85 on bars and beam and 9.8 on vault. Irvin has stuck four of her five vaults she has competed this season and holds a season average of 9.85. She has Top 3 finishes in four of her five meets and a high of 9.9, set at Utah. Honest has competed on vault in every meet and is averaging 9.819, with a high of 9.85 set at Stanford. She also has season-best scores of 9.825 on bars and 9.8 on floor.
Honoring Bruin Greats with Legacy Routines
This season, several of UCLA's memorable floor exercise routines are coming back to life via current team members as they pay tribute to legacy of UCLA Gymnastics. Among these “legacy routines” are those done by Sadiqua Bynum, who asked to perform to Onnie Willis' sophomore year music, and Jennifer Pinches, who is recreating Lena Degteva's West Side Story routine. Freshman Sonya Meraz also has a routine previously done by Degteva, a 13-time All-American from 1997-2000. Willis, a 16-time All-American from 2000-03, was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame this year. JaNay Honest made her season debut on floor last week at ASU with her version of Ariana Berlin's 2009 routine.
Bruin Banter
Samantha Peszek is back hosting her third season of Bruin Banter, a weekly web series that offers an inside look at UCLA Gymnastics. Each week, Peszek, who co-produces the show alongside team videographer Deanna Hong, interviews a team member and recaps the previous week's activities. New this season is a behind-the-scenes segment that provides a glimpse at the inner workings of the team.
Pac-12 Championships Move to Utah
Due to possible scheduling conflicts with preliminary rounds of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships on Mar. 21 will be moved to Salt Lake City for the second time in four years. Utah hosted the Championships in 2012, and UCLA took home the title thanks to a final rotation rally on balance beam that pushed the Bruins into first place ahead of the second-place Utes, 197.425-197.375.
Looking Ahead
UCLA will wrap up regular season play at Arkansas on Friday, Mar. 13.